Vice Premier Chang San-cheng today attended the Computex Taipei opening ceremony and exchanged views with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Charles H. Rivkin regarding the U.S.-Taiwan Digital Economy Forum, which had been jointly announced by the ROC's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) and the United States.
The vice premier stated that the U.S. is a very important industrial partner of the ROC; the two sides have close collaborative relations in trade and investment; and the digital economy is a very important next-generation issue. In response to the global rise of the Internet, many nations have formulated forward-looking plans and proactively promoted international collaboration, he noted. Following the establishment of digital economic exchange platforms with other major trade partners such as Japan, the European Union, India and South Korea, the U.S. has decided to hold the U.S.-Taiwan Digital Economy Forum with Taiwan. This demonstrates the U.S.'s affirmation of the cooperative foundation between the two nations on information and communications technology, digital economy and other relevant fields. The two sides have common interests in many areas, and the U.S. regards highly the ROC's future role in promoting the digital economy on the global stage.
Chang pointed out that rapid Internet development has overturned traditional operational models, and the Internet is widely applied in various aspects of public life, including advancing government administration toward openness and transparency, transforming traditional economic operations through disruptive innovative technologies, and using online and smart technologies for lifestyle matters like food, clothing, lodging, transportation and entertainment.
To get hold of this international trend of rapid development of the Internet, its widespread applications and innovative breakthroughs in administration concepts, the Executive Yuan has formulated a white paper on policies for an online, smart, new Taiwan. Its contents encompass five major areas: infrastructural environment, administrative transparency, smart living, online economy, and smart land planning. Through the involvement of all citizens, the white paper outlines the government's administrative visions, goals and strategic directions.
The Executive Yuan stated that the U.S.-Taiwan Digital Economy Forum will debut within the next half-year in Taipei. It will be attended by National Development Council Minister Duh Tyzz-jiun and a delegation led by Ambassador Daniel A. Sepulveda, who is deputy assistant secretary of state and U.S. coordinator for international communications and information policy in the State Department's Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs. The conferences will cover inter-governmental and entrepreneurial exchanges as well as dialogues between the private and public sectors. Regular U.S.-Taiwan exchanges and dialogues will help the ROC get hold of international regulations and changing developments, creating a policy environment conducive to bilateral industrial development and ushering in cooperation for mutual research and development.